Travel companies in Viet nam can learn much from their Thai counterparts, particularly in organising conferences and tourism promotion, according to an official with the Viet Nam Administration of Tourism (VNAT).

National Road 27, which links the two highland provinces Lam Dong and Dak Lak, will be upgraded into an overland tourist road from Da lat to Laos and Thailand by the end of 2009, said Mr. Hua Van Tuan, director of the Lam Dong Provincial Department of Transport.

Da nang is the third largest city in Viet nam after Ho chi minh city and Ha noi and it is the largest in the Central region. It has an area of 1,300 square kilometers and a population of 1 million. The city’s Hoang Sa district is an archipelago consisting of 18 islands.

Fifteen years since Hue city won global recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the city’s internationally-renowned annual festival has been getting bigger and better. This year’s celebration, already in full swing, is no exception.

Fewer travellers are choosing to take the Train these days, as the railway industry faces strong competition from more modern means of transportation, the Viet nam Railway Corporation recently revealed.

Yesterday, an ao dai (Viet Nam’s traditional long gown) fashion show took place in the former Hue Hotel'>Imperial hue city as part of an ongoing biennial Hue Festival and attracted around 10,000 visitors including thousands of foreign tourists.